The Tyrant Billionaire

And as Jayce rose through Hardy's connections, he would inevitably become one of Hardy's men, working for the Hardy Group in the future.

But what if Jayce didn't know how to climb the rope?
Stay tuned to empire

Heh.

If he didn't have the ability to climb up, what use would he be? At worst, Hardy could always cultivate another assistant.

Hardy returned to the Taiping Mountain villa.

Sitting in the living room, he contemplated. The last time Hardy had approached Governor Grantham with a request to allow HD Security to use weapons in Hong Kong, he had been rejected. Hardy had been looking for an opportunity ever since.

He now felt that today's incident might just be that opportunity.

After some thought,

He called his intelligence chief, John Wick. "John, I want you to investigate what happened today with the gang fight on Sheung Wan Street. I need a detailed report."

"Also, I want a comprehensive investigation of all the current triad forces in Hong Kong. Compile it into a report."

"Understood, Mr. Hardy," John Wick responded and left to carry out his orders.

Hardy then called the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, instructing him to report on today's gang fight on Sheung Wan Street. He told him to emphasize the severity of the incident and express concern for Hong Kong's future public safety.

The next day.

The Global Times published a detailed report on the street gang fight.

"Yesterday, on one of Hong Kong's busiest main streets, Sheung Wan Street, two gangs engaged in a violent clash. Seven people were killed on the spot, and sixteen were injured. Several innocent bystanders were also caught in the crossfire."

"In the past year, incidents of gang violence have become increasingly frequent, leading to growing instability in Hong Kong's public safety. Last year alone, there were over a hundred such clashes, with more than 300 casualties, causing a significant impact on the everyday lives of Hong Kong residents.

Citizens are calling for a stable and harmonious living environment and urging the government to take strong measures to control the gangs and ensure public safety."

That afternoon,

Victor visited Governor Grantham again.

"Governor, Mr. Hardy happened to witness the gang fight on Sheung Wan Street yesterday. After seeing the situation, he's become quite concerned about public safety in Hong Kong. Our group has invested over a hundred million dollars in Hong Kong, but without a stable public security environment, it's impossible to conduct proper business."

"Last year alone, there were over a hundred gang fights in Hong Kong—no city can tolerate that."

"Mr. Hardy will be heading to England again in the near future, and he intends to discuss the situation in Hong Kong with the Prime Minister. He hopes to enhance corporate security capabilities to ensure the safety of Hardy Group's investments in Hong Kong."

Grantham was taken aback.

Was this a plan to file a complaint with the Prime Minister?

If Hardy really voiced his concerns about Hong Kong's governance to the Prime Minister, it would have significant repercussions for him.

Grantham didn't doubt Hardy's influence.

After some thought, he said,

"I remember Mr. Hardy previously mentioned that he wanted his security company to have permission to use weapons in Hong Kong. Upon reflection, perhaps it is necessary."

"I will discuss this with the other members of the Legislative Council to see if it is necessary to allow HD Security to carry weapons, ensuring the safety of Hardy Group's investments."

The Governor in Hong Kong is the full representative of the British King and the Commander in Chief of the three armed forces stationed in Hong Kong. He holds the authority to appoint members of both the Executive Council and the Legislative Council, making him, in essence, the emperor of Hong Kong.

As long as he agrees, this matter will undoubtedly be approved.

In just two days,

The Hong Kong government issued an order allowing the 'HD Security Company,' registered in Hong Kong, to use light firearms for the protection of enterprises in the city. Additionally, the company was permitted to use light weapons when conducting security business across the city.

The Hong Kong police retained supervisory power over the use of firearms by the security companies. If any security company violated regulations in their use of weapons, appropriate penalties would be imposed.

With the issuance of this order, HD Security gained the legal right to use firearms in Hong Kong moving forward.

Many of Hong Kong's wealthy individuals, upon seeing this order, had thoughts about it. HD Security is the largest security company in the United States, and there was no doubt about its capabilities. Now that it could legally use weapons in Hong Kong, hiring a few HD Security personnel would provide a significant safeguard for their safety.

Moreover, HD Security employees were tall, strong Westerners, which would also be quite impressive to show off.

The only drawback was the cost.

Each security personnel cost $400 per month.

That equated to over 3,000 Hong Kong dollars, which was quite significant, considering that a Hong Kong police officer's monthly salary was only around a hundred dollars at that time.

Thirty times more expensive.

Yet despite the high price, many people still called HD Security's Hong Kong branch, hoping to hire security personnel.

Even before HD Security's Hong Kong branch officially opened, they had already received a large number of orders. Based on current estimates, they would need no fewer than 200 personnel, but the number of staff available was far from enough.

When this issue was reported to Lancer, he immediately decided to send another batch of personnel and start local recruitment efforts.

There were many strong young men in Hong Kong.

Many of them had returned from battlefields. After a few months of training by HD Security instructors, these men could be turned into qualified security personnel.

Their prices wouldn't need to be as high, but with the legal ability to carry firearms, there would certainly be many willing to hire them.

If, in the future, they could assemble a thousand strong armed security force in this area,

The likes of the Triads, Sun Yee On, and 14K wouldn't dare provoke HD Security.